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Word Lens in the Classroom

Word Lens is a free app for iOS and Android that translates printed words instantly. You open the app, select the language and point the camera at the text. What appears on your screen though, is not what the camera sees, it's the translation. (Android version)

I can't vouch for the accuracy of the translation, and I would hate to try to read a whole book by waving my phone over it. If you are a student who is still learning English though, this app could help you check your understanding, or give you the translation of the word that is stumping you. This will have classroom applications for students new to English and will potentially also have applications in World Language classrooms.

Word Lens currently offers translations to and from English for the following languages: Spanish, German, French, Italian, Portuguese and Russian. Google recently bought Word Lens so all of the languages are now free and I hope the list of languages will continue to grow. I think it is also likely that we will see the functions of Word Lens built into the next iteration of Google Glass.

If you are a teacher concerned about how this technology will impact student language development I would encourage you to read my earlier post about Google Translate. The genie is out of the bottle, and now she can take her pick of languages to play with.

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SAMR, developed by Ruben Puentedura, is one model for examining the evolution of tech integration in classrooms. It focuses on the type of work students are doing and how much that work deviates from traditional classroom practices. In a sense, it measures the future against the past. This four minute video is great if you would like to hear him explain it in his own words.

I like the SAMR model and I think it does what models are supposed to do, it get us talking and thinking about the work going on in our classrooms. This graphic shows the progression of a teacher's thinking with a bit of humor too.

As a model though, I think SAMR has some issues we need to talk and think about more. This is my list of concerns.

For further exploration:

It privileges the modification and redefinition stages such that good teaching without tech is marginalized. Even after five years of 1:1 I still have a few fabulous lessons that just work better on paper. They are worth keeping even if they do n…

Considering National Boards? I recommend the process, but you should know what you are getting into. Start early and get organized.

In the spring of 2016 I began pursuing National Board Certification for teaching. I know eventually someone will ask me for my thoughts and advice about that process, so I'll capture them now while the experience is fresh. Because I teach 9th grade, and previously taught middle school for ten years, I decided to do my NBCT in the area of Young Adolescent ELA. (Yes, I also taught 11th grade for six years, but that was a while ago.)

Though some do it in one year, I'm taking two years to complete my NBCT. Last summer, at a small local conference, I stumbled into a conversation about National Boards and happened to find out that my County Office of Education sponsored a support program. I was just in time to sign up. Through that program I got early advice and support to help me understand expectations and deadlines. The amazing staff at the County O…

It happens to all of us sometimes. Your perfectly planned lesson goes just a bit faster than you expected and you have a few minutes left at the end of class. Or maybe your students have been showing some excellent focus on their projects and you want to give them a few minutes of fun. My students have to put their laptops in a cart at the end of class and that takes a few minutes. For whatever reason it's good to have a few things you can pull up fast and engage students with for those last few minutes. These are some of my favorites. Share your's in the comments.

GeoGuesser:https://geoguessr.com/
This site drops you at a spot in the world and you have to guess where you are. It's good for a quick lesson in observing details. It's funny how often it seems like the picture seems to be from one place, but it really a whole different continent. I'll have one student come up to play, but the whole class loves to watch and make suggestions. Pro tip, teach them they can…